


We Are The Rose

by captainawful, MicPick2



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: #makeThedasgreatagain, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, M/M, Multi, and they’re twins, tags added when needed, there’s two inquisitors, twinquisitors - Freeform, we canonically call them that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-21 14:18:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21076283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainawful/pseuds/captainawful, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MicPick2/pseuds/MicPick2
Summary: Twin inquisitors, shiploads of angst, and tons of character building nobody asked for.Buckle up kids, the Inquisition just got way more interesting.





	We Are The Rose

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Mic and I have wholly invested ourselves in our inquisitors and started writing shitty fanfiction about them. They’re really tragic and loveable so we hope y’all enjoy them as much as we do.
> 
> We write the main chapters together and the interludes for our inquisitors separately (Mic owns and writes Ris and likewise for me with Val).
> 
> The title of our fic is inspired by The Rose by Memphis May Fire, and we have also dubbed it the theme song.
> 
> Thanks for giving this fic a chance!

Twisting, turning, being ripped apart and put back together. Falling… upwards and outwards, thrust back into reality. He was flying through the air and around him were guards and darkspawn alike fighting. He hit the ground with a loud thud and tumbled away from the chaos, yet not far enough from the battle. The man had certainly startled the guards by his graceless exit from the Fade and now that they were finishing up, two of them were stalking towards him. He manages to yank his cloak hood over his head before they get a good look at him.

The nearest one, large, bulky, and hairy, fisted a hand in his battle-torn tunic, “Who are you?” He pulled the man up face to face with him, who pulled a disgusted sneer. 

“None of your goddamn business, is what,” he spat. “Now unhand me you cretin.”

The other guard, seeing the stranger resist, moved to capture and bind his arms. There was a struggle however short lived and was being carted away. The man knew how to get out if need be, but he was curious to see where this would be going. The ignorant guards didn’t even bother to take away his bow and quiver or check him for other weapons. For now, he looked to his surroundings. Which isn’t much honestly. They seemed to be in the middle of a snowy clearing, nothing around save for the rest of the guard and the giant glowing green crystal in the sky. Ah yes, I was too busy scouting out the Fade to think about what was going on out here. He grimaced, thinking about how long he was away for. On the other side of the clearing he sees another guard sending off a runner, looking off in his direction before sending the boy on his way. Eventually after his slow drag, he’s deposited by a nearby tree. 

The hulking man forced him to his knees, pushing his chin to his chest as well, while the other guard stood behind looking wary, “Stay.”

“Oh would you have me fetch a stick, too? Maybe suck your cock like a mutt as well?”

The force of the backhand made blood well up in his mouth. He chuckled and spat it out onto the snow in front of him, managing to get some on his boots to his satisfaction. 

“Keep yer mouth shut and head down. Someone will be coming to collect you soon,” he could almost hear the grinding of the guard’s teeth as they walked away from him. 

While waiting he works on loosening his binds more, the guards, being terribly inefficient at theirs jobs, don’t even notice. Pathetic excuse for a guard. By the time he hears snow crunch coming his way, he’d wiggled the bindings loose enough to slip free at a moment’s notice. Eventually the foot falls stop a few paces in front of him. He looks up to see another guard, but instead notices a heavily armored woman. No, a seeker. 

The man smirks, rolling his head to the side in submission, yet face still shadowed by his cloak hood, “My my my, how did you know my favorite place to be is at the feet of a powerful woman?”

The woman looks aghast at his comment but steels her expression before she speaks to the guard.

“I can see why you sent for me. I’m sure the Herald will be very interested in questioning him,” she motions from him to the guard, who hauls him up to his feet.

He pushes the cloaked figure in front of her. The man turns around, having to look up a few inches to the Seeker’s stoic face.

“Where to?”

She noticeably relaxes realizing that she won’t have to fight to get him going, though still weary about the stranger, and nods Northwest of him, “Through the trees and straight ahead. Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Perfect.”

They make their way across the clearing and into the woods. Neither of them make the effort to converse, but he can feel her stare bore into his back. Some twenty minutes later they come across the outskirts of a village plagued with soldiers, guards, and others he can’t identify from this distance. As they pass through the front gates, he sees a lot more going on than expected. There’s men and women alike training in open spaces, others talking in hushed tones. He manages to make a few words out: Herald, rifts, and magic, among others lost to his ears. What on Thedas has been going on since the conclave? The two manage to make their way up through the village, coming to a slow stop near a training area.

The woman hauls an arm up in the air, “Commander!”

The man who turns around is… familiar? Too familiar. And as he walks closer, he understands why. He remembers all those years ago when he was lurking around Kinloch Hold and found the most gorgeous and sweetest boy, all blonde and innocent-looking. He had approached Cullen with all his charm to proposition him, but he didn’t get too far before the boy’s cheeks flamed red and he stammered out an apology whilst running away. It was funny to say the least. But now here he stands a few feet before him again twelve years later, an aged and hardened warrior. In the back of chest the man feels almost… proud. But he shakes it away before he can give any thought to it.

“The guards say he came out of a rift. I need to bring him to the Herald, do you know where she might be?” 

The commander scratches his neck, casting a glance between them and the stranger’s bound hands, “Yeah she and everyone else is gathered in the Chantry hall waiting for our arrival. I’m busy with the recruits, but I’ll catch up in a few moments.”

“I’ll see you, Cullen,” he smiles and heads back to his group, gathering their attention for a bit.

The Seeker begins walking him toward the large building 100 paces ahead, but the man is now more on guard because of their conversation. About three quarters to their destination, he pauses long enough to drop the rope from his arms and reel back to elbow the woman in the face hard, hoping she would still be “right behind” him like before. She shouts and falls back a few steps, and he hears noises coming from just inside the Chantry doors. In an almost instantaneous movement, he unwraps his bow from his shoulders and nocks an arrow, pointing it at the doors as they burst open and people come spilling out. He managed to knock the cloak hood off his head exposing his identity, but it won’t matter if he kills them all anyway. He was about to release his grip when a familiar face pushes to the front of the group.

“Fenedhis!” She shouts during the commotion, pushing through to the front of the crowd and preparing a spell to take out the intruder. 

However, the woman pauses when she looks at him closer, and she lets out a heavy and annoyed sigh. 

“Lower your weapons.. Isa'ma'lin.”

Ris shoves her staff into the hands of a soldier next to her and approaches her brother quickly, pulling him into a tight hug before slapping him upside the back of the head with more force than necessary. He recoils a bit under the force of her slap, but returns the hug with fervor. 

“Please refrain from shooting the inquisition soldiers in the future. We only have so many..” she scolds him before cracking a grin. 

“I’m surprised to see you so soon, Lethallin..” 

“As am I. I had an unfortunate mishap with a spirit and decided to, well, eject myself from the Fade before matters got out of hand.”

He looks behind him to the woman who brought him here, seething with blood dripping down her face and sword at the ready, and back to Ris, “I assume I wasn’t being led to my execution, but now there might be a demand for one.”

Before she has a chance to respond, there’s a small body barreling it’s way towards them from the small crowd in front of the Chantry. 

“Hey Angel! Imagine seein’ ya here of all places!” 

It’s very difficult to surprise him, yet that’s how he feels when he knows not only one, but three people in this strange place. Varric hasn’t changed a bit in the last eight years, maybe more chest hair, but otherwise just like he remembers him.

“Were you attempting to contact every acquaintance of mine in my absence?” He jests, looking behind her to see if he recognizes anyone else.

It takes Ris a moment to make the connection. She glances between Varric and Val with a raised eyebrow and chuckles. 

“Ah how sweet.. a giant gaping hole in the sky really brings people together.” 

She links her arm with Val and begins to pull him away from Cassandra, who is still glaring daggers at Val. 

“Let me show you the grounds. There are many people I would like you to meet. Unless you know them already.” She laughs. 

There’s a warm and heavy feeling in her chest. Her brother hadn’t been gone too long this time, but she’s glad he’s back.

Being apart in the past has… taken its toll on her to say the least. She prefers when he is near. 

“There is someone I’d like you to meet. He’s a friend.. in fact, he took care of me when I stumbled out of the fade. This way.” 

The crowd parts around them, mostly him anyway. After all he did just almost commit to their mass murder, not that they were privy to that information. At a quick glance, he sees no other elves among the group, which makes him even more suspicious of their intentions with his sister. He does see some diversity, he’ll give them that: a single Qunari and a suspiciously familiar Vint (what an odd pair) glancing between each other and himself, and two dwarves, much more than some could say. 

As they move through the group, Val gets a closer look at the Vint. Pretty, burnt ember skin paired with thick muscled arms and thighs. Fenedhis, it’s the Pavus boy, Dorian. Isn’t he all grown up and filled out now. But that is quite the atrocious mustache he’s got now, Val reminisces to when he was a baby-faced, rebellious teenager. The same boy he waited on while posing as a personal servant to the Pavus family, and consequently, the same boy who tried to cajole Val into fucking him. Many times. Like Dorian knew what he was even asking back then. But he doesn’t feel so bad eyeing him now. So when Val catches the man’s eye, he waits for the recognition to flash hot and aggressive across his face, mouthing ‘kaffas’ under his breath; it’s quite funny the range of expressions that pass too, it seems like he’s still awful as ever at concealing his thoughts. Val visibly looked him up and down as he passes, and leaves him with a quick bite of his lips and a wink. In response to his slight lag, he feels Ris tug his person roughly over the threshold of the Chantry. He hears the man splutter an embarrassing and indignant noise, Val letting loose a quick boyish grin. If things weren’t gonna be interesting before, they certainly will be now. 

She raises a hand in the direction of a lone person leaning against the side wall, ”Solas, come here!”

The man lifts his head, already smiling softly and walking towards them. Scratch that, another elf in company. The elf, Solas, looks Val over curiously, eyes widening a bit when he reaches his face, looking between the two. Val in return studies him. The man looks like a sad sop of a monk. No visible weapons (mage, like Ris), wise and guarded eyes, sharper elven features than most, but the lack of hair and vallaslin almost throws Val for a loop. Who is he to judge though.

Solas laughs, it’s lower and smoother than he thought it would be, “Well I heard whispers of your kin, but I must say I didn’t expect twins.”

“Neither did our mother, but here we are: devastatingly attractive and twice the trouble,” he nudges Ris’ shoulder affectionately, her presence seemingly soothing his beast into more amicable territory.

“It’s true..” she laughs, nudging him back. Once the two are introduced, she looks at Val as she gestures to Solas. 

“Solas is a mage. He knows first hand what life is like as a so called apostate. That is what the shemlen like to call us.” 

Solas nods, chuckling quietly. 

“Ah yes.. though I do not take offense. Humans are ignorant to any culture aside from their own.” 

Ris nods and continues, “Solas has been studying the anchor. He knows a great deal about the magic that tore a hole in the sky, and has spent years studying the fade.” 

She reaches down and takes her brother’s hands in her own, flipping them palm side up and revealing that both of the siblings share the mark. 

Solas chimes in before Ris can continue. 

“As I told the herald, whatever magic opened the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. Luckily the herald was able to disrupt the breach long enough to keep the mark from spreading and killing you both. It seems that you too hold the key to our salvation,” he gestures to your joined hands. “May I?”

Val looks to Ris who shrugs and replies with a quirk to her lips, “It’s okay, he won’t bite.”

He scowls at her and offers the apostate their hands, “Then be my guest.”

Their hands move towards him and unclasp, forearms overlapping one another, palms skyward. Solas starts a bit at their intertwined arms, but otherwise grasps their hands to compare the marks to each other. While he pours his concentration into their marks, they hear loud footsteps drawing near. The twins look over their shoulders to see Cassandra stomping towards them, fury in her eyes with Cullen a half-step behind her. She opens her mouth, presumably to start yelling, but her gaze is pulled to the matching marks the apostate is currently investigating.

“Maker’s breath! There are two marks?” She tore her eyes away from their hands long enough to get a good look at her ‘prisoner,’ “And there’s two of you? Explain yourself Velaris!”

Val turns back to where Solas is muttering to himself and comparing their marks, tugging his hand back minutely. The mage looked up with a curious tilt to his head, once he has his attention he asks, “May I have my hand back, please?”

Solas’ lips quirk into an interested smile, “You may.”

He turns back around to face angry woman he elbowed in the face five minutes prior, back straight, hands behind his back, and falling to attention, “I apologize about earlier, Seeker. You’ll have to forgive my misunderstanding of the situation. I don’t tend to follow strangers in random buildings, you see, even if it’s a woman as gorgeous as yourself.”

She balks and makes a disgusted noise, prompting Cullen to snicker behind her. But then he gets a good look at their guest and he turned as pale as a sheet. Val looks to the Commander and gives him a winning smile.

“Oh would you look at that? The cute Templar remembers me. You sure have grown up since I last saw you, Cullen.”

At this point, Val and Cullen have the attention of everyone in current company. The latter is getting some color back into his face, but now it is beet red and he took a shaky step backwards, putting his hands in front of him as if it would stop Val from saying anything else.

Val, ever cheeky and flirtatious, “Are you still looking for someone to show you a good time, handsome?”

He finishes it off with a wink, leaving the Commander thoroughly embarrassed. Ris elbows him, sending a look his way that means he’ll be spilling this story at a later date. 

Cullen seems to pull himself together for a brief moment, able to stammer out, “I um. No, not currently… Val.”

“Aw, so sweet! You even remember my name 12 years later! Let me know when you wish to take up my offer then,” another wink sets his face aflame. “But forgive me, this is not why we’re gathered here, is it?”

The gathered crowd goes quiet, all looking to Ris and Cassandra for an explanation. Ris chuckles, scratching the back of her head and unintentionally pulling pieces of her hair out of its tie. 

“I have a lot to fill you in on.. maybe we should have a drink first. I know I need one..” 

These last few weeks have been… interesting to say the least. To say Ris has been given whiplash from the whole ordeal would be an understatement. 

To think, in the span of a few days following her escape from the fade, Ris went from a wanted criminal destined for the headsman's axe or hangman’s noose, to an agent of the Inquisition. Herald of Andraste, the symbol of a goddess she’s never revered.

She’s been labeled a criminal by a society she’s never bothered to know.. simply for being a mage without a leash. The weight of the shemlen staring her down with incriminating eyes and grimaces resonates in her mind, leaving her tense for every moment she is awake. 

Each night, she sleeps with her windows shut and door locked, fearful that the angry templars roaming Haven will come for her in her sleep. 

To have her brother near brings relief to Ris that she hadn’t realized she needed. Perhaps now she will be able to sleep in sounder comfort. Or.. have a better chance of making it out of here alive if any of the shemlen turn on her. 

Ris looks to Cassandra, giving the warrior a guilty smile as she subtly stands in front of her twin. 

“I suppose I should apologize for my brother, Seeker.. If you would allow him to stay, I can promise he will be more than an asset to the inquisition. Isn’t that right, Lethallin?” 

Her piercing pink eyes land on her brother for a brief moment, giving him a subtle warning. 

His cheeks and ears color almost unnoticeably. It’s not very often that his sister will chastise him, so this must be very serious. He offers Cassandra a meek smile with a shrug of his shoulders as if to say sorry, but then his eyes widen and he starts rummaging through his pockets. Val pulls out a perfectly folded handkerchief and holds it out for her with an adorably bright smile, “Oh, here!”

She gave him an incredulous look, not moving to take it from him. He shakes his hand a little bit with raised eyebrows, smile still in place; she snags it from his hand and begins wiping the blood from her face. Val’s hand drops back to his side, and while the Seeker is distracted he sends an exaggerated eye roll over her shoulder to Cullen who attempts to smother a smile. 

Unbothered, Val continues, “Yes, I am well equipped to work with the Inquisition if you will have me.”

Ris smiles, not really waiting for approval. 

“Good. It’s settled then. Come with me, ara’lin.” 

The elf grabs her twin’s arm and pulls him away from the gathering crowd, ignoring the muttering coming from her associates. 

As soon as they’re out of earshot, Ris’s smile falls. The two of them round the corner of the tavern building before Ris pulls him into another tight hug. 

“Are you okay? I was starting to think you weren’t coming back..” 

Her memory is scarce, and she has no idea how they ended up in the fade in the first place. 

All she remembers is that she escaped with a.. mystery woman reaching out to her. 

No Val… 

Ris grabs her brother’s face in her hands, inspecting him closely for any new scratches or scars. 

“Do you remember much? Why we were there or what happened at the conclave?” 

Val bats her hands away, “No, I don’t. I just remember getting you out of the fade before high tailing it away. And then I explored for a while,” he holds his left hand out to inspect the mark. “Did any of them tell you what this is? That mage you introduced me to seemed pretty knowledgeable about it, if his muttering was any indication.”

Ris puts her hand next to his, the two of them inspecting the identical marks, “It has something to do with whatever blew up the Conclave. And seeing as we’re the only surviving company, it’s going to be a while until we get answers,” suddenly she scoffs, pulling her hand away to cross her arms over her chest. “They’ve taken to calling me the ‘Herald of Andraste’ because of this blasted thing. It doesn’t seem to matter that I don’t worship shemlen gods either.”

Val watches as she pulls away to side eye the still confused group disbanding in front of the Chantry. He notices some of them looking over their way, and reaches out to turn his sister back towards him. He tries to get out as many questions as possible before one of them decides to walk over.

“Are you weary of them? Is this a good cause to fight for, or are we planning an escape.” 

He needs to know where her loyalties lie right now to plan accordingly for both of them. Or, at the very least, know how much he thinks he can trust them.

Ris lowers the volume of her voice to almost a whisper, leaning in a bit closer to her brother to speak while keeping a casual and light expression on her face. She doesn’t want to draw negative attention by looking suspicious. 

Her eyes scan the disbanding crowd, and her eyes land on a familiar figure clad in chantry robes. 

“See that cleric over by the chantry? The one who looks like a stick is permanently shoved up his flat little ass? That is Chancellor Rodrick.. When I exited the fade, he demanded I be chained and carted off to Val Royeaux to be executed. Even after I stopped the breach from spreading.” 

She pretends to laugh lightly when she sees Leliana peering at them with suspicious eyes. 

“I thought about running.. In fact I still may be considering it.. But right now I- and now you as well, are the only chance at saving the world from whatever or whoever did this. I can’t just ignore that, even if half of Thedas wants to see my head on a pike.” 

Ris leans her back against the wall of the building behind her, closing her eyes and tilting her head back as she listens to the distant hum of the breach in the sky. 

She opens her eyes after a moment and a glint of curiosity flashes within them.

“You haven’t seen the breach yet have you, ara’lin?” 

Ris steps away from the building and grabs Val’s arm, leading him through the narrow and winding paths of Haven and eventually out the gates. She leads her brother in the direction of the stables, past it to a hillside just outside of camp where the breach can be seen in full view. She stares up at the swirling green fissure with a mix of awe and fear, jaw clenched tightly. 

“This is what happened when the conclave exploded.. When I woke up in prison, Seeker Pentaghast and Spymaster Leliana believed I was responsible. I was almost executed on sight-” 

She takes a deep breath, holding her marked hand to her chest absently. 

“I’m glad you’re here..” She adds quietly after a moment of silence, unable to tear her eyes away from the breach. 

He steps up next to her, hands clasped behind his back, “And I’m glad to be here with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Elvhen Translation
> 
> Isa'ma'lin - his blood is my blood/he is my brother
> 
> Ara’lin - my person/you are my person


End file.
